Miss Shoreline pageant, feeder for the Miss Michigan competition, to be held Saturday at Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor

MUSKEGON, MI – Fourteen young
women are set to compete for the regional title and more than $500 in scholarships
for the Miss Shoreline and Miss Shoreline's Outstanding Teen pageant on Feb. 2.

The pageant takes place at the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor, 939 Third St. in downtown Muskegon.

MLive file photo

This year, 10 women between the
ages of 18 and 24 years old are competing for the "Miss" title, said pageant
director Judy Bisson. The teen division has four contestants, who are between
13 and 17 years old.

Miss Shoreline began about seven
years ago and was formerly known as the Miss Seaway Muskegon and
Miss Muskegon-Ottawa pageants. The original pageants were originally open only
to girls in the greater Muskegon area.

Under its latest iteration
however, Miss Shoreline is listed as an "open" pageant, meaning that anyone
from Michigan can come to Muskegon to compete. This year's participants "are
coming from all over," Bisson said.

To win, the young women will
compete in several categories, including talent, evening gown and on-stage
question. For the "lifestyle and fitness" category, the "Miss" contestants will
don bathing suits while the "Teen" contestants model activewear.

Bisson said this year's
participants are looking forward to the event.

"You know, it's exciting for the
girls," she said.

Bisson also dismissed the notion of the competition as simply
a beauty pageant.

"They're working for
scholarships," she said.

In addition, they perform community service in their
communities, she said.

Bisson said both contests are affiliated
with the Miss America Organization.

The winner of the Miss Shoreline
competition will move on to the Miss Michigan pageant, which will take place in
June at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts.

The young lady who wins Miss
Shoreline's Outstanding Teen will also advance to the statewide competition,
which also takes place at the Frauenthal in June, days before the Miss Michigan
pageant.

Tickets are available for
Saturday's event, Bisson said. They are $20 for those 12 years old and above,
$5 for those five to 12 years old and free for attendees under five.

Tickets can be purchased between
4:30 and 6 p.m. in the corridor of the hotel, Bisson said. They can also be
purchased at the door from 4:30 p.m. until the pageants' start at 7 p.m. on Saturday.